Newcastle director responds to Eddie Howe links with England job | OneFootball

Newcastle's sporting director Paul Mitchell has admitted he is not afraid of speculation around manager Eddie Howe becoming Gareth Southgate's successor at England.

The Magpies boss has long been linked with the England job, first when Roy Hodgson's tenure ended in 2016, and again now following the departure of Southgate. While his permanent replacement has not yet been found, England Under-21's manager Lee Carsley has been named interim boss for upcoming Nations League fixtures against Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Howe's Newcastle season looks to be set in stone, but club director Mitchell has refused to rule out the possibility of the boss' move to international football.

England will play in Nations League fixtures this month / PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages

"We want Eddie Howe as our head coach for as long as we can but we also recognise we are on a journey," he told reporters. "We also recognise his quality and his potential as well. I've never been a guy scared of interest in any of our staff members, especially our head coach, and especially from a level of organisation that the FA is.

"As an Englishman, I am proud, and I think it's a recognition of the two and a half years he's had here and the job he did at Bournemouth. It's a really good practitioner being recognised for what he's done."

While Howe's England links have failed to quieten down, the Magpies boss has admitted to being happy at the club that he joined in 2021. They've begun the 2024/25 campaign on a positive note - beating Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur while drawing with Bournemouth.

Newcastle are set to face Wolverhampton Wanderers when the season resumes, and a fixture in the Carabao Cup against AFC Wimbledon also awaits them in September.